Tornado Alerts Expand to Tokyo

As rain and winds swept across Japan Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency began sounding the tornado alarm. It seemed no region in eastern Japan was off limits, starting with Tochigi prefecture at 12:38 p.m. Japan time.

European Pressphoto Agency

Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture after it was hit by a tornado on May 6.

Less than an hour later, eight other prefectural warnings had been sent by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Among the warning areas was Tokyo. The warning went up at 1:42 p.m. and is effective until 2:50 p.m. JST.

As of 2 p.m., the sky above Tokyo was quickly darkening, and thunder could be heard in the distance from JRT’s observation post.

The JMA warned that should citizens see in the distance suddenly changing thunderclouds with lightning and rain, they should relocate to soundly constructed buildings and take precautionary measures.

One piece of good news was reported, though, amid Japan’s strange season of extreme weather. Wantaro, a three-year-old mixed breed dog, who got lost in the chaos of Sunday’s tornado, found his back home to Tsukuba, Ibaragi prefecture, to the delight of his owners.

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